RE: Survival - Chapter 56

Goliath’s height resembled that of a tall basketball player, but its build was more like a sumo wrestler—massive and imposing.

The aura emanating from the bulging veins on its solid, red muscles was overwhelming. Fortunately, its massive size seemed to compromise its agility. The creature advanced slowly, hindered by the zombie traffic around it.

Though it crushed, trampled, and tossed aside zombies as it moved forward, its progress was still insufficient.

“Wait, it’s not just one of them?”

There were at least three of these massive creatures in sight. They continued to hurl the zombies around them. Those thrown to the ground either died instantly with their heads crushed or staggered forward with broken limbs. It was a gruesome scene.

“Hey, get that thing to the entrance and provide covering fire. Be careful with the grenades.”

Sweeper pointed at the folding barricades meant for checkpoints and gave simple instructions. Taking a few steps back, he sprinted toward a red brick pillar with a unit’s insignia on it.

Before the three could react, Sweeper kicked off the side of the pillar, using its surface to propel himself skillfully upward. His movements were a dazzling display of high-level parkour.

A seamless combination of wall-up and climb-up.

Sweeper prepared a grenade, removing its safety pin and lever while loosening his wrist.

“Let’s see how tough that shell of yours is.”

He lobbed the grenade at the nearest Goliath and quickly hung below the brick pillar. A few seconds later, he climbed back up and whistled as he surveyed the result.

“Wow, that’s tough.”

The grenade had taken out most of the surrounding zombies, leaving them with shrapnel embedded in their heads. However, the mutant still stood, even with half of its head blown off and its brain exposed. It merely staggered briefly before resuming its rampage, tossing zombies like before.

“Grenades won’t work,” Sweeper muttered, clicking his tongue. The explosion scattered too many zombie fragments, and the airborne zombie blood was unsettling.

Additionally, repeatedly throwing grenades to stop the advancing creature risked collapsing the entrance.

The silver lining was that, unlike David, whose skin was as hard as steel, these mutants weren’t invincible. It seemed possible to hold them off if they were prevented from getting too close to the entrance.

Sweeper adjusted his stance and aimed his rifle. The rifle spat fire, and the bullet pierced the mutant’s torso.

It hit but not precisely where he wanted. The effective range was farther than expected. He adjusted his aim lower and fired again. Targeting the legs resulted in either hitting the torso or the ground.

“Hmm…”

As the mutant advanced, Sweeper changed magazines, frowning. It seemed annoyed by the attacks and picked up a zombie by its leg, hurling it toward him.

The airborne zombie chattered its teeth as it flew straight at him.

“Whoa!” Sweeper twisted his body, narrowly dodging, but the impact made him stumble and spin before landing on the ground. Its attack patterns were crude and brutish.

“I prefer stylish fights,” he muttered.

“You okay, sir?!”

Three others hurried toward him. Sweeper raised a hand to signal he was fine.

“Active duty guy, I’ll need your help. It’s harder to shoot than I thought. The rest of you, keep cleaning up the fallen zombies.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sweeper leapt back onto the pillar with the same fluid movement and signaled to Sergeant Ong, who stood idly nearby.

“What are you doing? Come up here.”

“Uh… Me? I… uh…”

“Huh? Why?”

“I can’t climb up there… How would I even get up?”

It was impossible for him to jump onto the pillar like Sweeper, let alone while carrying a rifle, ammunition, and grenades. The zombies clawing at the metal gate made climbing with support equally unfeasible.

“Run as fast as you can, plant one foot on the wall, and hold your position for a few seconds. I’ll pull you up.”

Sweeper explained as though it were basic math, but Ong’s face remained grim. He considered moving the barricade to use as a step.

“What are you doing? Come on, move!”

Well, what’s the worst that could happen?

Sergeant Ong sprinted, planted his foot on the wall, and wobbled precariously as he reached out. Sweeper grabbed his hand and yanked him onto the pillar.

Sergeant Ong gasped as he looked over the scene.

“There are so many of them…”

The view from above was even more terrifying. A tide of zombies surged from outside the base. It seemed like every zombie nearby had gathered. His legs trembled involuntarily at the sheer sight.

“Are we going to die here, sir?”

The pillar had just enough space for two people. One wrong step and they’d fall straight into the zombie horde. Ong’s limbs trembled as if in spasm.

Sweeper slapped his back hard.

“Relax. See that big one? Think you can take out its ankle?”

“I’ll… I’ll try.”

Sergeant Ong got into a shooting position as Sweeper prepared to cover him. However, the normal zombies surrounding the mutant made it difficult to get a clear shot at its legs.

“I can’t see the target…”

“Wait a bit. I’ll clear the area. Oh, do you have earplugs?”

“Oh, yes.”

Sergeant Ong handed over his earplugs to Sweeper. At such close range, the noise from the gunfire could be deafening.

“They’re coming. Keep your aim steady and don’t lower it.”

Sergeant Ong continued to aim at the mutant with one eye through the sights. As the mutant shoved the surrounding zombies aside with its hands and positioned itself to hurl one of them, its ankle momentarily became exposed.

“Now!”

With a third of his inhaled breath released and his breath held, Ong gently squeezed the trigger.

‘Bang!’ The bullet flew true, piercing the mutant’s ankle and embedding itself in the ground beyond.

“Nice shot. Keep firing until that ankle’s gone,” Sweeper instructed.

Sergeant Ong’s shots continued to rain down on the target. Just as he fired, the mutant hurled the zombie it had picked up. Startled, Ong instinctively lowered his rifle, but the zombie was already airborne, heading toward them.

“Ahhh!” Ong screamed involuntarily.

Sweeper leapt into action, grabbing the zombie mid-air by its clothes and redirecting its momentum so it fell behind them. It was a heart-stopping moment.

“Don’t panic, marksman. I’ll cover you properly,” Sweeper reassured.

“Got it, sir…” Ong nodded and resumed his shooting stance. ‘Bang! Bang!’ His shots continued in rapid succession until his magazine was empty.

Eventually, after countless hits, the mutant’s leg gave way, severed by Ong’s precise shots.

The creature collapsed, swarmed by regular zombies trampling over it. While it managed to rise briefly, its remaining leg was soon rendered useless by another round of sustained fire, leaving it crawling helplessly on the ground.

“You’re a hell of a shot. Were you a sharpshooter or something?” Sweeper asked.

“Oh, not at all, sir.”

Taking down one of the giant zombies seemed to have boosted Ong’s confidence. His voice became steadier, though his body remained visibly tense.

“At this range, shooting isn’t too difficult. I’d say the struggle you’re having, sir, is probably due to not zeroing the rifle properly. Close range is easier, but beyond 50 meters, the sights need to be dialed in. Using a rifle that someone else zeroed often results in misaligned shots.”

“Fair point. Still, impressive work.”

“Thank you. Should I handle the regular zombies too?”

“No, let them be. They’re blocking the way themselves. Yohan’s team will need as much time as possible. Let’s pick off anything that gets too close.”

“Yes, sir.”

The situation wasn’t as dire as it could have been. While Yohan had prepared for the possibility of the main gate being breached, it seemed unlikely to happen for now. As Sweeper predicted, the Goliath wasn’t an overwhelmingly threatening mutant.

‘That gate should hold up fine. As long as we’re careful with the flying zombies, it’s manageable.’

The zombies clawed and flailed in futile attempts to reach the pillar, their hands stretching desperately toward their prey above.

Sweeper activated his radio to update the situation.

“This is the main gate. How’s the armory holding up?”

– “Not great, but not terrible. How’s your side?”

“We’ve taken down one mutant. Two more left—wait, correction, a third one just showed up.”

– “Got it. Keep it up.”

The situation was barely holding together.

Sweeper called down to the two team members waiting below.

“Two of us should be enough to hold here. Can I ask you guys for a favor?”

“Uh, sure?”

“This line is mostly concrete walls, so it’s secure. But the hillside has fences that might give way if the zombies pile up too much. Could you check if there’s a cluster forming there?”

“Understood,” Dong-seok replied, with Jae-hee nodding in agreement. They seemed to trust that Sweeper could manage without them.

“Take care.”

Without looking back, Sweeper raised a hand in acknowledgment, intercepting another airborne zombie with a clean strike to its temple. His movements resembled a slugger hitting a home run.

—

At the armory, the situation was, as described, neither great nor terrible. Four team members were firing relentlessly, switching out overheated rifles multiple times. Their bodies dripped with sweat as they worked tirelessly to maintain their firepower and reload magazines.

It wasn’t just about inserting bullets into magazines. They also had to retrieve used magazines, supply fresh ones, and coordinate the logistics of ammunition—all while dealing with a limited number of magazines.

Yun Seri moved diligently.

Normally, she’d want to fight alongside Yohan, but she followed his orders without question during combat. She knew better than to argue when he wore that grave expression.

Her damp clothes clung to her skin uncomfortably, but there was no time to complain. She moved like a machine, repeating her tasks without pause.

“Ugh, damn, it’s so hot…”

Seri threw off her leather jacket, unable to bear the heat any longer.

As she shed the jacket, her sweat-soaked white T-shirt clung tightly to her body, highlighting her curves and revealing the faint outline of her undergarments. The men working nearby flinched and glanced at her, their gazes betraying momentary distraction.

“Seriously? You’ve got time for wandering eyes, gentlemen?” Seri remarked with a smirk.

“No, ma’am!”

“Keep your eyes on the task, boys, okay?”

At her comment and Jung Eun’s stifled laughter, the two men turned red with embarrassment and quickly focused back on their work.